How You Know You Need an Updated Biosheet
You’ve heard the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes”? Well… true confessions… that proverb applies to me in this season. While I’ve been helping y’all with taglines, biosheets, and websites, my own have fallen woefully out of date.
A couple of weeks ago, one of our senior staff members at Proverbs 31 reached out to me to ask if I’d like my current bio on our writer’s page to remain the same or be updated. When I read through the document, I was horrified to see outdated information and descriptions that fit my vision two cycles ago.
Mercy.
Not only did I need a vision refresh like I talked about last week, I desperately needed a new bio for my internet presence as well as a new biosheet for event planners who are considering me for a speaking event. I immediately set to work on an updated biosheet with the elements that will get you hired.
Tagline, Tagline, Tagline
When I taught school, I used to number my “sermons” to my kids to make them laugh. (ie. The “I Love You But You’re Not the Center of the World” speech was Speech #169.) If you haven’t heard the tagline sermon, refer to last week. It might be my Speech #1 for communicators! I see it as an essential, and if you need more information, you can also do a word search on our blog page for “tagline” or “ministry niche.” I’ve been blogging for eight years, so I might have mentioned it a few times. 🙂
Build Trust
The scariest moment for an event planner is when she hands the mic to a speaker. It’s our job to build trust so that the hand-over moment is less painful. Share information about your credentials that show character and perseverance. In a warm, engaging way, let the planner know that you have experience as a speaker and in regards to the topics.
Give a Peek Into Your Soul
Part of building trust is sharing your truest self which allows the event planner to “know” you a little. For example, I always include something like: You can find Amy on any given day stalking her adult children on social media, dating her hunky husband, or trying to find one more alternative to cooking dinner.” That’s the real me in one slightly quirky sentence!
These are some of the most important elements of a great biosheet. Once you have all the content written for event planners, plan to use the same carefully crafted wording in lots of other places as part of your branding.
- Include your tagline in your email signature
- Make sure to use some of your biosheet wording as your description in all your social media outlets
- Use some of it on your about page on your website as well.
Using repetition will allow people to begin to know what to expect from you and establish who you are.
I’ve been working on my new biosheet content for a couple of weeks now. I’ve run it by some savvy friends for feedback. I’ve let it sit for days so that I can see the flaws. I’ve massaged and tweaked and reworked, and it’s almost ready to go. Now I’ve just got to make time to put it in all the places I just recommended to you!
~Amy
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
This post is a thumbnail sketch of one of Amy’s coaching services. You can click here to schedule a free consultation, or if you’re a DIYer on a budget, Amy offers her in-depth teaching videos and written curriculum through Video Courses. Click here to check those out!
For all you newcomers, we also want you to know about all the free information available on the Next Step site. If you visit our Home Page and scroll down, you’ll find a categorized library of our freshest content. It’s our heart to have help available for everyone who visits so that you grow in your ministry!